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A national investigation has been launched into NHS maternity care in England following a series of damning reports.
The 10 “worst performing” maternity and neonatal units will be “urgently” examined under the first part of the review, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Monday.
Government officials said that NHS England chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey, and chief nursing officer, Duncan Burton, will within the next month meet the trusts of greatest concern, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex.
The second phase of the investigation will involve a system-wide look at care, bringing together lessons from previous inquiries into individual services to create a “single national set of actions to improve care”.
A series of independent reviews in recent years have identified a pattern of women failing to receive compassionate care, as well as issues surrounding safety on maternity units. The leadership shown by trusts and the culture in these services have also been criticised.
Speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists conference on Monday, UK health secretary Wes Streeting said he had for the last year met with families who had lost babies or suffered serious harm “during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives”.
“What they have experienced is devastating — deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion — caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened. Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act — and we must act now,” he added.
Streeting said the investigation, which will launch this summer and conclude by December, would “make sure these families get the truth and the accountability they deserve”.
On Monday, the government also established a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to drive forward urgent improvements, chaired by Streeting, which will be compiled of a panel of experts and bereaved families.
Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “Too many women and babies are not getting the safe, compassionate maternity care they deserve, with tragic outcomes that are devastating families.
“It is vital that the national review announced today is done quickly, builds on the evidence from previous maternity investigations and produces a definitive set of recommendations that galvanises action across the system.”
